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Clean Water Action today announced its endorsement of Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje in his bid for reelection, citing his strong track record of leadership on environmental issues.
With 250,000 members in Michigan, Clean Water Action is the state’s largest grassroots environmental organization and has offices in Ann Arbor, East Lansing and Grand Rapids. The group has about 7,000 members in the Ann Arbor area.
John Hieftje
“You don’t establish smart growth programs like the Greenbelt, become Solar City USA, a leading walkable community, and an award-winning bikable city by accident," Cyndi Roper, the group's director for Michigan, said in a statement.
"It takes vision and leadership, and Mayor Hieftje has demonstrated an extraordinary capacity for both,” Roper said. “Ann Arbor would not be a national leader in so many areas without John Hieftje’s leadership."
Hieftje also has been endorsed by the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. He will face off in Tuesday's Democratic primary against Patricia Lesko, who has the backing of the local and statewide chapters of the Sierra Club.
The winner of the primary goes on to face independent challenger Steve Bean in November. Bean is the chairman of the city's Environmental Commission.
Clean Water Action relayed a list of the six main factors it considered in deciding to endorse Hieftje:
• Hieftje’s leadership on the city's Greenbelt initiative, which has preserved nearly 2,000 acres of land as open spaces and farms for local agriculture with plans to save 5,000 more acres.
• Hieftje’s championing of rezoning downtown Ann Arbor to allow for more density and create incentives for green building.
• Hieftje’s leadership in establishing the city's solid waste millage enterprise fund for recycling and his commitment to preserving funding for recycling programs.
• Hieftje’s establishment in 2005 of the Mayor’s Green Energy Challenge, which pushes utilities to sign long-term contracts with the city to directly provide renewable energy to Ann Arbor. As of June 2010, Ann Arbor uses 20 percent renewable energy for municipal operations.
• Hieftje’s strong advocacy for alternative transportation, including passenger rail.
• Hieftje’s support for spending the remainder of the parks and Greenbelt millage that was approved by voters on the acquisition of parks and preservation of farms and natural areas.
Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529.
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